The concept of air-conditioning originated from the need to meet a demand for climatically controlled environments by the graphics, textile, pharmaceutical and cellulose (paper) industries, in which production was adversely affected, primarily due to the undesirable conditions of humidity and temperature of the environment, which directly influenced the working of the equipment and processes used.
Initially, air-conditioning was done by means of ducts and large-scale equipment, capable of cooling and withdrawing the humidity from the air and allowing its circulation in an enclosed environment. Subsequently, smaller-scale air-conditioners were developed, whereby enabling their use in homes and business establishments.
Today, air-conditioning apparatuses are relatively cheap and quite compact, and can be installed even in environments with reduced space. Because of this, their use has become quite widespread, principally in hot regions, and two of the most well-known types of air-conditioners are window type and split type, which are briefly described ahead.
Air-conditioners of the split type comprise two distinct modules or units, called inner unit (evaporator) and outer unit (condenser), and one of its advantages lies in the fact that the inner unit is relatively more silent in comparison to the air-conditioners of the window type. Moreover, the costs of air-conditioners of the split type are, in general, relatively higher than those of the window type. Additionally, its installation/maintenance is more complex and, accordingly, requires specialist labor, in addition to specific materials/accessories, which also involves greater cost. Moreover, although the evaporator unit is relatively more silent, the condenser unit generates considerable noise in the external environment, rendering implementation thereof unfeasible, principally in large numbers, in buildings and establishments where it is necessary to maintain an acceptable level of external noise (for instance, hospitals, libraries and schools).
The air-conditioners of the window type, in turn, consist of apparatuses endowed with a single cabinet that comprises all the parts and components needed for cooling or heating the air mounted inside the cabinet. Said apparatuses are easily installed by coupling to windows or openings made in the wall (which can be carried out by means of a direct coupling or by means of a pre-fabricated encasement module), one part facing the internal environment (enclosed) of a place and the other part facing the external environment (open) to the place. However, the air-conditioners of the window type also present certain drawbacks, such as high noise level coming mainly from the vibration of its components (e.g. compressors and ventilators/blowers). These undesirable vibrations are transmitted from the apparatus through its cabinet to a wall or structure where it is installed, increasing noise pollution and causing major nuisance and discomfort to the occupants of this environment where it is installed.
Therefore, both air-conditioners of the window type and split-type present problems of noise and vibration. Some techniques are already known, which in principle could represent potential solutions for said problems. Patent documents JP 07-120106 and JP 3110329 present embodiments of buffering elements designed to reduce vibration of the components of an air-conditioning system. However, the solutions shown in these documents from the state of the art require modifications in the internal structure of the air-conditioner, since they are applied directly to the components of the air-conditioner, and involve a relative technical complexity of adaptation and/or high production cost.
Thus, although the air-conditioning apparatuses of the state of the art meet the need to cool or heat an environment, they still present a high level of noise emission because of the vibrations of their inner components, particularly concerning the air-conditioning apparatuses of the window type.